Waiting for Eight
by EK
Summary: Oneshot. Based on Tenshi. Why is Honoka worried that he's late for dinner?


Hiya. Just a fast one before going to work. This is based on the Tenshi stories, which assumes, primarily, that ep 25 did happen but I found a loophole. Hope you like.

If you've surfed like crazy like I did two years back, you'd know that "hachi" is eight in Japanese, and is a common shortcut among Japanese and Chinese S7 fans for Hei (the way Gorobei is 5, Shichiroji is 7, and Kyuzo is 9).

……………………………………..

"I'm going to town for supplies," he said with a grin. "Coming?"

Honoka smiled back but shook her head. When you live underground, the nearest town was many miles away, across a wide expanse of desert. Coming with him meant that she would have to skip on house-cleaning and going to market in the center of the compound.

"Some fresh air from outside will do you good." He grinned again.

"Why are you so desperate for company today, Eight?" Honoka had to ask, because usually, Heihachi did not ask her. He just told her he was going above-ground, that he would be back in the evening, so have dinner ready but not lunch.

He planted his cane firmly on the floor before he stood. "I dunno. I guess, I want the company today. That's all."

"I understand, but I'm sorry. I have to go to market today, and the neighbors have asked for help with the planting."

"Okay. That's fine. Want anything?"

"You back home for dinner."

"Sure."

He hobbled up to her, and kissed her forehead, before leaving.

………………………………………

Honoka went on with the day, like every other day. She went to market and traded vegetables with small kitchen tools Eight made precisely for bartering. She checked on Mizuki, helping with friends with the planting. Finally she helped with the planting, too, along with the neighbors.

She did not worry about Eight. No, she did not worry about him. She did not. Heihachi did not like it when she did worry, anyway.

The afternoon came and went, because the timepieces in the compound said so. Everyone was finishing up and heading home for dinner. So did Honoka.

Eight was not back yet. She did not think much of it. Maybe he took a while at the town and would be back a little late. Maybe he met friends in town. Maybe…maybe…no. She would not worry. Mizuki and Honoka had a quiet dinner together while she waited.

The timepieces chimed for nine o'clock.

"Really, nee-chan, this is rather late. Even for Eight," Mizuki said.

"I thought you called him Hei," Honoka calmly said while she calmed her hands under the table. Opened and closed her sweating hands.

"I guess I got used to your way of calling him Eight. Especially tonight. You couldn't get him off your mind!" Mizuki chuckled.

"But, I agree, it is late." Honoka stood. "I'm going to the port. You stay here, clean up and go to bed."

"Nee-chan, I'm not a kid."

"But I don't want to worry about two people tonight." She went out, a packed lunch box in one hand.

……………………………………..

Honoka was rather well-known in the community, for better or worse. She was allowed into the port area with very few questions asked of her. She asked to be led to the control tower. "Something is wrong with Heihachi," she explained her purpose.

"What do you mean?"

"He isn't back yet. He said he would be home for dinner. Please find out where he is."

The guardian in charge of control center pressed on a few buttons. The display in front of them showed one blinking light in the midst of the desert area. "See, Honoka?" The guardian showed her the display. "He's here, northwest of the cave. Twenty miles."

"But since when?" She watched the display blinking in good rhythm, but not changing position.

"Indeed." Now the guardian also got worried. He did not know since when. He raised a communicator. "Control to cruiser 5, control to cruiser 5, over?"

No response.

"Cruiser 5, please respond. I repeat, cruiser 5, please respond."

No response.

The guardian pressed on several buttons, which the blood drained from Honoka's face. "Control tower, send a search-and-rescue team twenty miles off base. No response from cruiser 5. I repeat, no response from cruiser 5."

A voice replied through the communicator. "Copy that, control. Will send a team."

"I'm coming with you!" Honoka declared.

"Yes, she can come along," the voice added.

She was quiet while inside the rescue cruiser. But so many thoughts ran through her head. I should've gone with him! I should have paid attention to his gut feeling that something would go wrong. I should have gone with him! But what could I have done if I was with him? Won't I just be an extra burden if I did? But what if I could have actually been helpful? And I was not there!

And why am I so worried about stupid Eight, why?

The rescue cruiser started the searchlights, and scoured the desert. Honoka knew it was useless, but she tried to call out to him, in all the three names they knew him by.

I won't forgive myself if I don't find him. He was alone for so long today. He wanted me to come, and I didn't.

They saw a signal flare blast into the sky, just a few meters ahead of them. The rescue cruiser went there immediately, and found the wreck of cruiser 5. The rescue cruiser landed beside it, and Honoka ran through the sand to the man leaned at one end of the cruiser.

"Ah, finally," he grinned, but weakly. "Sorry I got you all worried."

"We also apologize," the guardians bowed. "We did not notice something was wrong until Honoka pointed it out.

Honoka was a little embarrassed that the guardians had openly admitted their mistake in her favor. She looked away. "But what happened to you?" Honoka asked.

He pointed at open space. "Ran into an electric force field. Fried all the controls. Even fried the biosystems." He pointed at his legs, limp from the waist down. "That's why I couldn't send a message back home."

"How long have you been here?"

"It's no problem, you guys are here now…"

"But how long?"

He painfully raised himself a bit, dragging his legs. "A few hours. I blacked out for a while, so…so…not sure…"

Honoka caught him, just barely. She showed him the bento. "Here. I saved your share of dinner."

He smiled as the opened the box. "Best thing said so far. Thanks, Honoka." He grabbed a handful of rice and munched.

"I'm sorry for not coming with you today."

"No big deal." He patted her hand. "Since you didn't, thanks for coming after me."

"I would miss you if you never came back, Eight."

"Oh, really?"

She nodded.

And she meant it.

………………………………

1 hour 30 minutes. Waaah, why can't original fiction come so easily as fanfiction to my head? Oh, well. Thanks for reading.

EK out.


End file.
